YH 00463 THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESENTED BY PROF. CHARLES A. KOFOID AND MRS. PRUDENCE W. KOFOID THE POWER OF THE DOG The Power of the Dog Twenty Plates in Colour by MAUD EARL DESCRIBED BY A. CROXTON SMITH 'I HODDER AND STOUGHTON LONDON NEW YORK TORONTO PRINTED BY HENKT SfONE AND SON, LIMITED, BJNBURT ILLUSTRATIONS I. THE FOXHOUND Foxhounds. Owned by Sir Hugo Fiteherbert, Bart. II. THE BLOODHOUND * Bloodhound " Cut Bono" Owned by Mrs. Burnett Burn III. THE POINTER Pointer " Flax." Owned by William Arkwright, Esq. IV. THE GREYHOUND Greyhounds " Spirituelle" owned by Mr. R. N. Stollery. " Rupert of Debate," owned by Mr. E. V. Raynes V. THE PYRENEAN MOUNTAIN DOG Pyrenean Mountain Dog " Milanollo Nethou." Owned by Lady Sybil Grant BB70S96 VI. THE WELSH TERRIER Welsh Terriers " Ch. Longmynd Pypyr " and " Longmynd Taffitus" Owned by Mrs. H. D. Greene VII. THE SCOTTISH TERRIER Scottish Terrier " Scotty" Owned by The Hon. Mrs. Charles Tufton VIII. THE SEALYHAM TERRIER Sealyham Terrier " Peer Gynt." Owned by Mr. Harry Jones IX. THE FOX TERRIER Fox Terrier Puppy X. THE WEST HIGHLAND WHITE TERRIER West Highland White Terriers " Tissie " and " Tanner" Owned by Mrs. Lionel Faudel Phillips XI. THE MINIATURE BULLDOG Miniature Bulldogs " Champion C/ievet Punch " and " Chevet Daisy." Owned by Lady Kathleen Pilfyngton XII. THE BULL TERRIER Bull Terrier " Buller" Owned by Mr. Dawson XIII. THE CHOW CHOW Chow " Champion Papoose." Owned by Mrs. Lionel Faudel Phillips XIV. THE PEKINGESE Pekingese " Nan Tye of Newnham " and " Ch. Mai-Mai of Newnham." Owned by Mrs. William Herbert XV. THE MINIATURE POMERANIAN Miniature Pomeranian " Gatacre Betty." Owned by Mrs. Hall Walter XVI. THE ENGLISH SPRINGER English Springer " T 'is sing ton Flush." Owned by Sir Hugo Fitxherbert) Bart. XVII. THE BOSTON TERRIER Boston Terrier " "Jeffries Junior." Owned by Miss Claudia Lasell XVIII. THE GRIFFON BRUXELLOIS Griffons Eruxellois " Par£ Place Presto" "Park Place Pinkie" " Champion Park Place Partisan" and " Esperance." Owned by Miss Hall XIX. THE MINIATURE POODLE Miniature Poodle " Whippendell Pirouette." Owned by Miss Brunker XX. A PEKINGESE PUPPY Pekingese Puppy " Lu Chu of Newnham." Owned by Mrs. William Herbert " Uncouple in the valley ; let them go; And mar£ the musical confusion Of hounds and echo in conjunction," SHAKESPEARE — A Midsummer Night's Dream. FOXHO UNDS Owned by Sir Hugo Fitzherhert, Bart. THE FOXHOUND On the sir aightest of legs, and the roundest of feet, With ribs like a frigate his timbers to meet, With a fashion and Ji ing and a form so complete, That to see him dance over the flags is a treat. WHYTE MELVILLE. AS fine a picture of the ideal foxhound as one could wish to put in print is conveyed by these words of Whyte Melville, although the further reminder is necessary that fashion and form without nose are in vain. The handsomest hound in the world is a sorry impostor if he will not own to the line when scent is light. Fox hunting is the essence of sport. There is nothing that can equal it, looking at it all round. Big game shooting has its excite- ments and hair breadth adventures, pig sticking in India, and hunting the wild boar in France are recreations fit for men, but when we come to consider the innumerable qualifications necessary to make a good follower of hounds the palm must be assigned to fox hunting. In the words of the immortal Mr. Jorrocks : " 'Unting is the sport of kings, the image of war without its guilt, and only five-and- twenty per cent, of its danger ! In that word ' 'unting,' wot a ramification of knowledge is compressed ! The choice of an 'oss— the treatment of him when got — the boots, the breeches, the saddle, the bridle, the 'ound, the 'untsman, the feeder, the Fox ! Oh, how that beautiful word Fox gladdens my 'eart, and warms the declinin' embers of my age. 4 The 'oss and the 'ound were made for each other, and natur' threw in the Fox as a connectin' link between the two.' No other sport unites all classes to such an extent or brings men and women together in such wholesome rivalry. Courage, skill, judgment and self-restraint are only some of the qualities brought into play. Boys to the hunting field. Though 'tis November, The wind's in the south ; but a word ere we start : However excited, you'll please to remember That hunting's a science and riding an art. The fox takes precedence of all from the covert, The hunter's an animal purposely bred, After the pack to be ridden, not over, Foxhounds are not reared to be knock'd on the head. Pastime for princes, prime sport of our nation, — Strength to their sinew, a bloom on their cheek ; Health to the old, to the young recreation, All for enjoyment the hunting field seek. No excuse is needed for quoting these words of Mr. Egerton Warburton, from a poem said by the late Duke of Westminster to embody the whole code of honour and practice which it becomes a gentleman to obey in the hunting field. That it is a costly amusement, goes without saying, especially if our Nimrod elects to hunt in one of the fashionable countries where the pace necessitates a large stud of horses, but there are still packs in existence which make more modest demands upon the purse, and perhaps show better hound work, even if fewer foxes are killed. The old trencher-fed packs, which provided sport at a minimum of expense, are, alas, disappearing, very few now being found in any part of the country. They had the advantage of interesting the farmers and small local men to an extent that is out of the question with other packs. Presumably the objections to the system were stronger than the advantages, otherwise it would not be allowed to fall into desuetude. On the one side, it may be said that hounds cared for by a number of people are less liable to suffer from diseases which are inevitable when many are kennelled together. On the other, hounds so reared cannot possibly be kept in the sound condition desirable for a hard day's work, and there was usually a lack of discipline in the field which was not always conducive to success. The influence of fox hunting upon the social and economic side of rural life is one that should not be overlooked. It means that during the winter months thousands of wealthy men and women are content to reside in the country who would otherwise hibernate in towns, and the money expended upon the keep of horses runs into enormous sums. Farmers may grumble at times at the damage clone, and contend that the compensation paid them is inadequate, but they get their own back with interest in other directions. What the future has in store for the sport is another matter. Fields may grow so unwieldly as to be a menace to agriculture ; Masters may find a pack too costly a luxury with a growing taxation and increasing outlay in other directions. In fact, many considerations might be urged which may, in years to come, be sufficiently potent to overcome the glamour and enthusiasm which now surround the pursuit. Who can say ? A.S for the hound himself, what can be said that has not already been well said by hundreds of writers ? He is the very perfection of dog flesh, beautiful to look upon in his symmetry and strength. For many generations men have brought skill and experience to bear upon the improvement of nature, for nature in herself is not necessarily perfect. She supplies us with the raw material, which we mould and fashion to suit our intent. Some think that certain points are being pushed to extremes, such, for instance, as the craze for straight fronts. True, in a hound we want great bone carried well down to the feet, but it is not an uncommon thing to see the forelegs knuckling over in a manner which is dangerously near unsoundness. " / have seen all things pass and all men go, under the shadow of the drifting leaf.'''' FIONA MACLEOD. BLOODHOUND " Cut Bono " Oicncti by Mrs. Barnett Burn THE BLOODHOUND And hark ! and hark ! the deep-mouthed Comes nigher still, and nighcr ; Bursts on the path a dark bloodhound, His tawny . muzzle tracked the ground, And his red eye shot Jire. SCOTT OF all the Saints in the calendar the sportsman has most reason to remember the goodly Abbot of the Ardennes, St. Hubert, after whom were named two strains of mighty hounds, the black and the white. Devotion to the memory of the founder of the Abbey induced successive Abbots to cherish the hounds, from which are descended the fine varieties found in France and Great Britain unto this day. William the Conqueror had the honour of introducing the bloodhound into this country, where he has remained ever since under several styles — lyme hound, sleuth hound, etc. Right down the pages of history we find him popping up, some- times with sinister import, as when he nearly succeeded in bringing Robert Bruce into the hands of his pursuers. The fugitive escaped by the familiar device of wading along a burn : Rycht to the burn thai passet ware, Bot the sleuth-hound made stinting thar, And waueryt lang type ta and fra, That he na certain gate couth ga ; Till at the last that John of Lorn Perseuvit the hund the sleuth had lorne. So hard a-dying are old prejudices that unto this day this noble hound, gentlest of his kind, is regarded with a kind of awe. Time after time have I known a lady pet and fondle one, with the the remark, " What a beautiful creature. What kind of dog is he ? ' and when she has heard the dread name she has recoiled in fear. It is useless to tell her that one rarely sees a bad tempered bloodhound, that they are the kindliest mannered gentlemen that ever walked. She thinks of " Uncle Tom's Cabin," and associates the name in some way with a thirst for blood. That is sufficient. In modern times the uses of the bloodhound, when properly applied, are wholly beneficent. Those marvellous scenting faculties of his, which astonish all who see them at their fullest development, may aid in bringing a criminal to justice or in discovering the whereabouts of a wanderer lost in the wilds. The hound little recks of the task to which he is being put. His not to reason why. Ask him to unravel the intricacies of an invisible track left by the body scent of a person who may have passed many hours earlier, and, if he be well trained, down goes his nose, and he will follow yard by yard until the missing one is found. This is no imaginative picture conjured up by excessive devotion. That the thing can be done has been demonstrated times without number, and if there are failures, as failures there must be, we should not blame the hound so much as those who have had his education in hand. The instinct is present in practically all, although, naturally, it is more fully developed in some than others. All that is needed is for man to draw it out by his knowledge of hound work, aided by patience. It would be just about as stupid to expect a beginner to work a line eighteen hours cold as it would to chide a year-old infaAt for tumbling in his earliest essays to stand alone. Line upon line, precept upon precept. First a short distance, hot upon the footsteps of the runner ; then further afield and with a longer interval elapsing, until you may despatch the quarry over night and ask the hound in the morning to show you where he has been. As a further refinement in the educative processes the line may be crossed here and there by strangers, with the intent of teaching the tracker to discriminate between the true and the false. If he is worth his keep his sensitive olfactory nerves will have stored up impressions of the original scent which never can be effaced by any attempts to foil the track. One of the great advantages of keeping a bloodhound is that the delicacies of hound work may be observed without the infliction of cruelty upon another animal, and at a small expense. At the same time one has the pleasure of feeling that in his possession is an agent that may on occasion aid the police in tracing the where- abouts of a criminal, or in restoring a lost child to his home. Country gentlemen especially, with large estates, might rind a couple of bloodhounds more potent protection against the depredations of poachers than several keepers. I have heard of an estate in Ireland being entirely freed from this nuisance at very little cost. For companionship a bloodhound is more suited to the country than a town. Unless to the manner born, he is not as handy in avoiding traffic as dogs which are in the habit of relying upon their eyes and ears. His nose instinctively is near the ground, and unless your attention is on him he might easily blunder under motor or cart. If taken in hand when young he is as amenable to discipline as any other breed, and, owing to his affectionate disposition, he will become deeply attached to master or mistress. His nostril wide into the mur^y air Sagacious of his quarry from so far" MILTON — Paradise Lost. POINTER " Flax " Owned by William Arfovright, Esq. THE POINTER Stiff" by the tainted gale with open nose, Outstretched and finely sensible, draws full, Fearful, and cautious, on the latent prey ; As in the sun the circling covey basl^ Their varied plumes, and, watchful every way, Through the rough stubble turn the secret eye. THOMSON. I "AHE respective virtues of the Pointer and Setter have been discussed without stint for many years, the advocates of each retaining their opinions uninfluenced by the arguments on the other side. It may not be known that no less a person than Sir Walter Scott once had a mild hand in the game. In " St. Ronan's Well," if you turn to the account of the dinner party which led to much ill-humour, you will find these remarks : " The company were talking of shooting, the most animating topic of conversation among Scottish country gentlemen of the younger class, and Tyrrel had mentioned something of a favourite setter, an uncommonly handsome dog, from which he had been for some time separated, but which he expected would rejoin him in the course of next week. 'A setter,' retorted Sir Bingo with a sneer; ' a pointer, I suppose you mean ? ' ' No, sir,1 said Tyrrel ; ' I am perfectly aware of the difference betwixt a setter and a pointer, and I know the old-fashioned setter is become unfashionable among modern sports- men. But I love my dog as a companion, as well as for his merits in the field ; and a setter is more sagacious, more attached, and fitter for his place on the hearth-rug, than a pointer-— not,' he added, ' from any deficiency of intellects on the pointer's part, but he is generally so abused while in the management of brutal breakers and grooms that he loses all excepting his professional accomplish- ments, of finding and standing steady to game.' ' Sir Bingo could not understand why one should wish for anything more. He never before heard that a setter was fit to follow any man's heels but a poacher's. Tyrrel's point was that " many people have been of opinion, that both dogs and men may follow sport indifferently well, though they do happen, at the same time, to be fit for mixing in friendly intercourse in society." A sentiment which we cordially approve. Whether the shooting man should select a Pointer or Setter to aid him in the field or on the moor resolves itself very largely into a question of individual taste. Either, .when well broken, is capable of carrying out his highly specialized duties with great skill, and no prettier sight can be imagined than a brace of these clever animals quartering the ground and coming to a statuesque point when the game is winded. Of course, in externals the two breeds present many striking differences. Some admire the beautiful coat and gentle expression of the Setter, while others there are who declare that : Loveliness Needs not the foreign aid of ornament, But is, when unadorn'd, adorn'd the most. In other words, form appeals more to them than coat. They dwell upon the handsome outline of the Pointer, his symmetrical, power- fully knit body, his straight legs and muscular quarters. The modern dog is not without his critics, however, who contend that a foxhound cross has been used in modern times as well as many years ago, and that the hound qualities introduced are detrimental rather than otherwise. It is urged that the duties demanded of the Pointer are even more exacting than those of the foxhound, as regards stamina, and that if the old dogs could perform them creditably there was no occasion to resort to outside blood, which developed a headstrong disposition that renders breaking more diffi- cult, and tends to unsteadiness. In justice to the other disputants, it should be explained that they deny the alien cross, and contend that, as the foxhound is a perfect piece of mechanism, Pointer breeders are justified in attempting to work up to such a worthy model. Although one does not ask for a potterer it is questionable if great pace in a gundog is either necessary or desirable, for the fast animal is liable to pass birds that a slower one would find. After all, the truest test of excellence is finding birds for the guns, a feat in which the flashy worker is not always proficient. In the innumerable letters which have appeared upon the subject I have never seen reference to the remarks of General Hutchinson. Possibly they have been quoted and escaped my observation. This gentleman, who is very rightly regarded as a sound authority, laid stress upon a sporting dog having small, round, hard feet, which he held to be a more certain test of endurance than any other point. " Rest assured, that the worst loined dogs with good feet are capable of more fatigue in stubble or heather than the most muscular and best loined, with fleshy ' under- standings.' The most enduring pointers I have ever seen hunted had more or less of the strain of the foxhound ; but doubtless they were proportionately hard to break." A variety of Pointer not much seen now-a-days is the black, or Scottish, which, of course, is free from any imputations as to the purity of his lineage. He is said to be all that one could wish. .... like greyhounds in the s/ips, Straining upon the start" SHAKESPEARE — Henry I '. GREYHOUNDS "Spirituelle" Owned by Mr. R. N. Stollery " Rupert of Debate " 0y Miss Claudia Lascll THE BOSTON TERRIER I " / am an American — and 'whenever I look up and see the stars and stripes overhead, that is home to me." OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES. United States is a great country, full of many beautiful and wonderful things, but strangely enough it has grown few dogs of its own, the native varieties being singularly limited in number. Although the Boston Terrier is also an exotic, being composed of materials imported in the first instance from Great Britain, we would not be so churlish as to rob our American cousins of one of their most cherished possessions. He is named after the " Hub of the Universe," and that must suffice. The Americans annex all that is best of our own breeds. It was they who gave ^1,300 for a St. Bernard, nearly as much for some collies, and over a thousand for several bulldogs, but we have never reciprocated by introducing the gentleman from Boston. Perhaps, in the interests of good feeling between the two nations, it is as well that we have not done so, for the chances are that if we had we should have altered his style, changed the standard of points, and made him something altogether different. That is a little way we have, a way that oceasionally causes a proper resentment in other lands. I will not venture upon a speculation as to the reason why we have decreed the French Bulldog to be worthy of our esteem, while the Boston Terrier has been neglected. The two have many superficial points of resemblance ; indeed, it is almost necessary for one to be an expert to detect the difference. Both are built much upon the same lines, and the heads are not greatly unlike, except that the ears of the American dog are cropped instead of being allowed to retain their natural shape. This is not surprising when we consider that the Boston Terrier was formed from probably the same foundation stock— the lighting dog from Birmingham and the Midlands, lined down with an admixture of Terrier blood. The result is an active, game, " trappy ' little fellow, lit for my lady's carriage or as a friend of the working man.v My introduction to the Boston Terrier took place at the Villa d'Este, upon the shores of the Lake of Como. Passing an idle hour or two in that beautiful spot one afternoon my attention was suddenly arrested by the appearance of a dog of strange appearance. A second look told me his description, and his owner, a charming American, was quite pleased to tind an Englishman who knew a little about her favourites. In the summer of 1911, I had a further opportunity of renewing my acquaintance with the breed, a lady exhibiting some specimens at the Ladies' Kennel Association show in the Royal Botanical Gardens. With these exceptions, my knowledge of the Boston Terrier is confined to reading and hearsay, but- from what I can learn I imagine that there is much to commend Jiim. Were it not so, it is hardly probable that such a dog-loving race as the Americans would make a furore about him. Over two hundred and fifty have been benched at one show, and a good one is worth anything from ^"100 to ^400. The Boston Terrier has blossomed into a dandy of high breeding, with his even white markings usually on a clear brindle body. Was that the intention of the men who produced him in the first instance ? My impression is that the desire was to manufacture a gladiator fit for the pit ; and a cross between a bulldog and a terrier would be about as useful as anything for this horrible purpose. Fate, however, had in store for him a kindlier destiny than mauling his fellows and being mauled in turn. /•/!,« / I ml some loquacious i-essels were; ami some Listened perhaps, but never talKd at all." Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. GRIFFONS BRUXELLOIS " Park Place Presto " " Park Place Pinkie " " Champion Park Place Partisan " Espe ranee ' Owned by Miss Hall THE GRIFFON BRUXELLOIS I'm a gay tra, /a, /a, With my fal, la I, la, la, And my bright — And my light — Tra, la, la. BRET HARTE. IF you meet a dashing man about town, with a ferocious beard and moustache, a very much abbreviated nose and an ape-like face, you may be sure that he is a Griffon Bruxellois, or, as he is more familiarly termed, a Brussels Griffon. If his inches are few, and his weight is not more than from five to ten pounds, he has all the militant carriage and gay debonnair of an accomplished worldling. Cheek, impudence, pluck, confidence are all his, mixed with, perhaps, a good deal of braggadocia. A modern High School Miss might even say that he had swank, a word which once excited the curiosity of Mr. Justice Darling when trying a case arising out of an election. With all that innocence permitted to the judicial bench, he enquired if it were a local term peculiar to Lowes toft. I regret to say Counsel seemed to regard it as a vulgar word, although I would point out with all diffidence that it is as old as Burns — Here farmers gash, in ridin graith Gaed hoddin bv their cotters : j There, swankies^ young, in braw braid claith Are springin o'er the gutters. Of cheerful yesterdays and confident to-morrows, it may be said of him, and the consequence is that if you once have a Griffon you will always want to have one. Although among the toys he is not of them, being a thorough sportsman all the way through. He will do everything that is possible in this direction permitted of his size. I am sure that he has often wished that he were bigger, so that he could take his part with the terriers. The spirit to tackle fox or badger is his if the physique has been denie.d him. The name tells you whence he comes, and about seventeen years have passed since he was brought over into this country. Before assenting to the generally accepted version of his origin it would be well to enquire more closely into the matter. It is said that he has sprung from the Yorkshire and Irish Terriers mixed with the English Toy Spaniels, and that the years to his credit as a distinct variety are not many. Is this correct? Mr. Howard Spicer, whose interest in the breed has induced him to make researches on the Continent, thinks otherwise. The picture galleries will help us in our quest. In the painting by Jan Van Eyck, dated 1434) °f Arnolfini and his wife we are fortunate enough to have a very clear and lifelike portrait of their pet dog in the foreground. The painter evidently went to some pains over the animal, which in many respects is singularly like the present-day Griffon, the most noticeable divergence being the longer face of Arnolhni's pet. He ha% not the snub nose of our own dogs, but the photograph of one of the older champions shows that this feature is of recent development. To cite a further instance, between the years 1554 and 1640, says Mr. Spicer, Jacopo du Empoli is credited with the production of a picture of a dwarf, in the employ of Henry III. of France, which portrays amongst a collection of this monarch's pets, two unmistakeable griffons. After this evidence it will be unwise to jump too readily to the conclusion that the Brussels Griffon is a modern breed fashioned from British materials. We know perfectly well that toy dogs have been in vogue through all ages, and these not only of the spaniel kind. No great exercise of the imagination is needed to see among them the Griffons Bruxellois or their progenitors. Miss Earl in her picture has well caught the spirit of diablerie manifest in these mannikins. Is it matter for surprise that lovers of the eccentric should profess a devotion for them, that when, for some reason or other, they fell out of favour with the great ladies of the courts and salons, small shopkeepers and working men in Belgium should take them up and pass them on to England, and that our own countrymen succumbed to their quaint looks and ways ? We have taken the craze so badly here that better examples can be seen at a leading show in England than can be found in the city after which they are named. The standard says that a griffon should be " intelligent, sprightly, of compact and cobby appearance, attracting one's attention by the ^#tfj/'-human expression of its face." He is all that, and a good deal more beside. If you want one with the correct points favoured by exhibitors, see that his head is rounded and furnished with irregular hairs ; that the upper lip has a moustache, while the chin is prominent or undershot, with a beard beneath. Let "the nose be as short as possible, with a pronounced stop beneath the eyes. Note that the body is short, and that the docked tail has an erect carriage. Insist, too, upon the coat being harsh to the touch, red as that of the Irish terrier. The legs should be straight, and the feet rounded and knuckled up in the manner of a cat's. But who is this ? What thing of sea or land ? Female of sex it seems, That is bedecked ornate and gay." M i LTD N — Samson Agonistes. MINIATURE POODLE " Whippendell Pirouette " Owned by Miss Brun^er THE MINIATURE POODLE My wildest wishes he fulfils Without . a protest on his part ; My faintest show of friendship thrills His faithful heart." ELLEN THORNYCROFT FOWLER. IN those days of Platonism and " sensibility," which formed such a curious phase of the feminism of the Sixteenth century, no woman was happy without a pet dog, probably a poodle. Their love of animals was particular rather than general. As M. de Maulde says in " The Women of the Renaissance," " Ladies only valued the boudoir pet, the little, affectionate, obedient animal, their very own, which meekly took their kisses and upon which they lavished without misgiving a portion of their tenderness : a bird, for instance, or a pug. I say a pug, for there was seldom more than one. What was the good of a troop of shaggy animals, however graceful, like those which fill the canvases of Veronese ? A lady much preferred her one little lap dog, which she carried on her arm against her heart, took to bed with her, and had painted in her own portrait." Probably the author is inexact ill referring to these pets as " pugs," their resemblance to a tiny poodle being more marked. The chances are that the word " Pu§ " *s used m tne sense of a pet. One would not care to say that four centuries later many ladies are not wholly free from a charge of extravagance in their relations with toy dogs, although this is a reproach that cannot be directed against the owners of Poodles, who prefer to treat these intelligent creatures with due regard to their dignity. If in size the miniature Poodle approaches the toys, he still retains the sagacity and sense of his larger brother, who is a sportsman, in spite of the fantastic, not to say grotesque, guise under which he is compelled to masquerade. The curious manner in which Poodles are clipped is to a large extent responsible for the estimate in which they are held by the general public, who are blind to their virtues. In reality, it would be difficult to find a more faithful or a wiser companion, or a safer guard than a Poodle. Examine his head and and eye carefully, putting on one side the hair, and you will agree that the expression is indicative of wisdom and friendship. Sixty years ago or more Youatt wrote what remains true unto this day : " These dogs have far more courage than the water spaniel, all the sagacity of the Newfoundland, more general talent, if the expression may be used, and more individual attachment than either of them, and without the fawning of the one, or the submissiveness of the other. The Poodle seems conscious of his worth, and there is often a quiet dignity accompanying his demonstrations of friend- ship." The frequency with which Poodles appear in troupes of performing animals is convincing testimony to their teachableness, an assertion which will be confirmed by anyone who has been on terms of intimacy with one. A Poodle may be taught to do nearly anything, his perspicacity being almost uncanny, yet we cannot say of him that he is widely popular. It may be that the function of clipping has its terrors, but, when this operation has once been properly performed, I doubt if his toilet is as troublesome as that of most long coated dogs. An exception must, however, be made in the case of the corded variety, the long ropes of hair dragging the ground and demanding skilled treatment. Such a coat has its obvious disadvantages. It is unhygienic because of the dirt which must inevitably accumulate, and from the fact that the cords at the end are composed of dead hair, which in the natural course of events should be shed. The heavy weight, too, of the cords naturally impedes the action, which should be graceful and full of liberty. The coat of the curly Poodle, which more often than not is now merely fluffed out, presents no obstacles. So far as the shaving is concerned, an inspection of an actual dog or photograph will reveal that it is carried out on a more or less well ordered system. Feet and legs are bare, except for bracelets which are left at the hocks and above the pasterns. A small tuft of hair remains at the end of the stern, the rest being denuded ; the face is also cleared with the exception of a moustache on the upper lip ; and about a third of the body is also stripped, two pompoms, however, being allowed on each side of the back. Until some fourteen years ago, the commonly accepted colours were black or white, but when a red came on the scene as the result of a union of two blacks, the colour question at once assumed importance, and now we may have, in addition to the shades men- tioned, blue, mouse grey, silver grey, cream or apricot, tan, smoke, chocolate, brown, pale fawn, etc. During the same period the miniature Poodle has received a great impetus. That is, officially, a dog measuring not more than fifteen inches at the shoulder, although as a matter of fact the aspirations of breeders is to get below this maximum. Strange to say, the large dog of recent years has been getting bigger, until we may have one weighing as much as sixty pounds, measuring at least six and twenty inches. The weight of of a miniature may come down to about fifteen pounds, which is sufficient to prevent him being weedy. It is to be hoped that no serious attempts will be made to reduce this to any material extent. " Books cannot always please, however good, Minds are not always craving for their Food." GEORGE CRABBE. PEKINGESE PUPPY " Lu Chu of Newnham ' Owned by Mrs. William Herbert A PEKINGESE PUPPY The word '•friend ' does not exactly depict his affectionate worship. He loves us and reveres us as though we had drawn him out of nothing. He is, before all, our creature Jull of gratitude and more de- voted than the apple of our eye. He is our intimate and impassioned slave, whom nothing discourages, whom nothing repels, whose ardent trust and love nothing can impair." MAETERLINCK. YOUNG life abounds with a charm that can never be repeated as days and months broaden into years. Even the calf, gambolling and frisking in the field, stupid and clumsy though it may be, is not wholly devoid of the magic of immaturity, and when we come to the puppy, the kitten, the cub of lion or tiger, we see grace and beauty in every movement, and a winsomeness that captures the fancy. To experience the fullest pleasure in the ownership of a dog it is necessary that he should come into our possession when young, before his intelligence is formed, and innumerable other impressions crowd his brain to the exclusion of those we wish to impart. To watch the intelligence unfolding, to see the body developing, and the character chrystallising into the shape we desire it to assume, is a never ending source of joy. Day by day too, the little creature comes to depend more and more upon us, to recognise us as the chief god among the many strange beings that people this earth. When he is hungry we feed him. Is he thirsty? We give him drink. All the thousand and one little services that we render to him in the course of a week make him more and more irrevocably our debtor, and when the time comes for the state of pupilage to be shed we shall have a mature dog our devoted and obedient servant, ready to die for us if need be. In no other wise can we have quite the same understanding between master and dependent. If you have not read Maeterlinck's essay on the death of a little dog you should do so at once. How well does he express the intimacy between a puppy and his owner. " I saw my little Pelleas sitting at the foot of my writing table, his tail carefully folded under his paws, his head a little on one side the better to question me, at once attentive and tranquil, as a saint should be in the presence of God. He was happy with the happiness which we, perhaps, shall never know, since it sprang from the smile and the approval of a life incomparably higher than his own. He was there, studying, drinking in all my looks, and he replied to them gravely, as from equal to equal, to inform me, no doubt, that, at least through the eyes, the almost immaterial organ that transformed into affectionate intelligence the light which we enjoyed, he knew that he was saying to me all that love should say." There are, of course, drawbacks if we are lacking in patience and firmness. A puppy may sometimes be so trying that we think the very spirit of Flibbertigibbet has infused his nature, impelling him to mischief. If you happen on one like this, take him aside confidentially, reason with him, and point out to him that, however much gratification he may get at present from his reprehensible conduct, in reality the unkind and the unruly, And the sort who eat unduly, They must never hope for glory — Theirs is quite a different story. Almost before you are aware of it his nature will have changed, he will have become a reformed character. No longer will he tear up your favourite books, as the reprobate in Miss Earl's picture is doing ; the choicest plants in the garden will for ever after enjoy immunity ; the children's toys will remain untouched ; and on dirty days he will always wipe his feet on the mat before entering the house. Should he continue obdurate after your kindly counsels it may be obligatory to swish him, but let the punishment be given with gentle hand, even as the birch is administered by the sorrowing " Head " to the recalcitrant scholar. Remember though that youth has much to learn, experience is incomplete. Therefore, be tolerant, but let not your toleration be mixed with indulgence, unless you wish to rear up a tyrant, who will dominate the household and render your life a misery. Beyond certain well defined limitations the dog should not be allowed to step. As a sympathetic person you must treat him with kindliness, but never for a moment allow him to forget that respect which is due to you as a superior being. What is your opinion of the Prime Minister who fails to lead, of the General who consults a private ? Each is unfitted for the position to which he has been called. So, too, is the man who abdicates his headship in favour of Fido. He has no right to own a dog. Puppies, like children, are all the better when subjected to reasonable discipline, and in using the word discipline I do not mean an excessive application of the rod or incessant nagging. What is the fate of the merry mite so cleverly portrayed by Miss Earl ? Youth passes, middle age comes, let him play and eat and sleep while the zest is on him, so that on the advent of maturity with all its troubles he may seek consolation in the memories of a happy puppyhood. ill Cl ^